Left Unsaid
by Draconicality
Summary: A collection of strange little one-shots. [story 18: Tamamura Tamao can see any future but her own - with good reason.]
1. Whisper

And the world was pain.

_W-who-_

Sounds (what were sounds?) infiltrating, beating a needleprick path through the red haze of agony.

Red.

Fire was red…

_Spirit-no.  It's gone…_

_It's all gone._

_(what is fire what who too many questions I can't answer)_

He was

_I am_

fire water spirit flesh

He began to remember, but memory failed partway.

_ (divided.  the line of pure cold heat all the way through it's not possible but i feel it it's real and the spirit of flame a dying blaze in the back of my mind if i'm dead how can i feel such pain puzzlement fury--)_

_vision__: the wall of water, extinguishing, and a pair of furious dark eyes.  like his, and not_

_what…__what are these…NO!  there's too much I don't KNOW ANYMORE!_

----------

She finds him awake, on the third day after the earth shook and the lesser spirits fled.  He is perched at the entrance of the covered wagon, staring out at the sparse, night-shaded countryside as it rolls by.

He knows she is there, and greets her quietly.  She would tell him that it is not wise to sit there – who knows what accidents could spring?  But he halts her with a query.

"What's my name?" he asks, tucking long strands of brown hair behind his ear.

She is puzzled by the seriousness of the question.  "I don't know.  What is it?"

His smile is sweet and confused and devoid of any guile.  "I don't know either."

Outside, a leaf flutters by, borne on the playful desert breeze.

~-~-~-~-~-

A/N: *twitches* I'm in this major mood for turning out 5-minute one shots that are very, very, VERYVERYVERY strange.  

Any errors are due to the fact that I have not watched a single episode of Shaman King in my entire life. *blinks back tears* someone tell me if it still shows in the Philippines!  All I did for this was watch an SK music video (In the End…I forgot the website ^^; but it's REALLY GOOD) and read a summary of the last episode.  This just came out.  I couldn't help it.  Bleh…

The 'she' in the second part is a random person.  Since I have no intention of continuing this, 'she' has not chance of becoming anything more than a filler character.  Oh – some background – she finds Hao…somewhere…after his final fight.  I don't know why he isn't dead.

Read, review, onegai?  Tell me everything I did wrong.  Or right.  Whatever…  v^o^v


	2. Circle

A/N: Meh.  I changed my mind and decided to turn this into a collection of one-shots instead…hopefully it's clearer than the first.

~-~-~-~-~-

It was something about the building, he thought, though he couldn't say exactly what. Some combination of the openness, the trees, and the quiet background sounds. It was an oddness in the atmosphere, he thought, as though something nonexistent tapped constantly at his shoulder.  
  


  
Whatever it was, he was the only one feeling it. Certainly no one else was leaning out their windows this late at night, unable to sleep – Horohoro snored loudly in the next bed over, dead to the world.  The Chinese boy stifled a groan, resisting the urge to hit his head on the wall.

Something had been left unfinished, and it followed him doggedly, an evasive whisper in the back of his thoughts.

_When did this start? _he questioned himself, stifling a yawn.  _So tired.__  It hasn't stopped since the Shaman Fight ended—and here he stopped his train of thought.  It hadn't been then – it had been before._

"End it already, will you?" he asked the night, the stars, in mild annoyance.  "I want to get a good night's_ sleep_." He almost laughed at himself - talking to the air, as though it would answer back!

_Hhhhhhhhhhh~_

The wind was his answer, and Ren leaned out a little further, the soothing breeze cool against sweat-dampened skin.  It rustled the leaves on the trees, gently, and the Chinese shaman breathed deeply of the clean rush of air before closing the window with a sense of unaccountable relief, and clambered back into bed.

He dreamed, then, of stars, and forest, and thin pinpricks of golden-orange light that flickered teasingly before winking out of their ephemeral existence.  He dreamed the moth, and its infatuation with the beckoning of its doom.  He dreamed a child that was no child, its barely formed mind holding an elder's wisdom.

Then came the Phoenix which was not, with it's white wings of flame and magnificent sweeping plumes, and it regarded him out of a solemn dark eye, fathomless and unfathomable.  It hovered before him, and its cry rang through the universe, a tearing, a weeping, a melody of utter sorrow.

He reached out to comfort it, to stroke the white smoothness of its feathers though ferocious heat pressed on his flesh-

And fell into the whirling infinity of its eyes-

_The stars, the stars!_

And woke, hand still outstretched and chest heaving in great gasps for breath.

----------

A little crimson being blinked over his master's shoulder.  "No, I don't know what it is…"

Twined about the dark-haired youth's fingers was a circle of cloth – white, simply plaited, too big for a ring, too small for anything else.  Bason simply didn't understand the significance such an insignificant thing could hold, that Ren could be so distracted by it.

Fingers closed loosely over the object, as their owner gave his spirit a faint, bemused smirk.

"I think…I think he just wanted to say goodbye."

Bason looked at the cloth circle hard, shuddered, and chose to keep his silence.

~-~-~-~-~

A/N: Yow.  Another five-minute one-shot.   I must really be disturbed/bored/depressed/something.  Yes, this was an implied Hao x Ren, a mild one.  I seem to have become something of a Hao fan…

Kiiro Asakura, thanks for the review.  *snaps fingers* Damn!  I didn't even KNOW of this anime a month back!  Oh well, I'll manage.  And the sentences?  I know that the sentences were odd – an explanation is that I was trying to recreate what Hao would have thought under his circumstances.  I honestly doubt he had a lot of coherence left in those final moments, but I tried my best.

Read and review?  Reviews make my day, and I need ideas for a new one-shot ^o^ Ja ne for now!


	3. Grip

It only took a split second for the whole world to change.  

Asakura Yoh could only watch in concern as his friend suddenly halted midsentence, coughing and sputtering.

"Horo…?  E~to…daijoubu?  HORO!  What's wrong?!"

He couldn't breathe – in a desperate effort for oxygen, he clawed at his chest, where an awful, unreal pain had taken hold, twisting and flaring and _destroying!_

Abruptly, it was gone, and Yoh was holding him steady, eyes wide with concern.  "What happened?"

He gasped out his answer, terrified at how certain he was of its accuracy.  "Ren…he's…something's happened, I don't know…"

Yoh's eyes widened even further.  Bason's sudden, horrified cry had him running back into the house, with the blue-haired boy hot on his heels.

----------

"…You're _kidding _me, Ren..."  

Tao Ren, Mr. Three-Bottles-of-Milk-a-Day-and-Never-Neglecting-Physical-Health-Makes-Me-Stronger-Than-You?  Dropped by a heart attack, of all things?  Horohoro resisted the urge to giggle like an idiot, the morbid strangeness of the situation wearing hard on his already-frayed nerves.

The boy in the bed, however, defied humor of any sort.  Ren's face was so pale that Horo got the impression of a corpse lying in state.  (_I've GOT to stop thinking such things.)  Horo took one limp hand, squeezing gently – no response.  Those slim fingers lay limp and still against his palm.  It wasn't right, thought the ice shaman, suppressing a shudder.  Ren should be vibrantly alive, bickering with Horo, demanding his milk from Tamao, taunting Manta.  _

But instead he lay there.  Frozen, only the faintest rise and fall of his chest and the steady blipping of the monitor proclaiming a tenuous hold on life.

Behind him, Amidamaru led a distraught Bason out of the room, leaving the two of them alone.__

"Damn it," Horohoro growled.  "Ren, you can get through this, ne?"

_:Ainu-baka, try addressing me, not the kyonshii in the bed.:_

Horo's eyes rounded like marbles as he dropped the hand and spun around.  "Ren!?"

_:Hai: _The faint, see-through form of the Chinese shaman hovered near the ceiling.  The Ainu boy inhaled sharply.  "But if you're over there, then-"

_:I'm NOT dead.  Yet.  Thanks to you:_

Horohoro would normally be a twitching heap on the floor by this point, but having had too many shocks in one day caused him to settle for a glare in the 'ghost's' general direction.  "Say WHAT?"

_:You held me back:_

"And why do you sound so reproachful about it?  K'so, that was one PAINFUL hold-back!  I'd rather have gone without it, you know?"

_:So you'd rather I was gone.  Fine, fine, it's not like I needed to linger:_

"Ren, matte~" _I didn't mean it that way! _

_:Horohoro, why did you?:_

"Eh?  Did what?"

_:Why did you anchor me to your soul?:_

Major sweatdropping by now.  "Why can't you stick to one subject?"  Horo was painfully aware that he was arguing with a ghost, one who could disappear at any second and dash all of his own dreams in the process.

_:I see: Ren's spirit smirked, a familiar expression. __:Let me go.  It's not fair of me to take you along:  He kept his smirk, but deep in his chest once again, the Ainu felt exhaustion, sorrow, and a little fear hit him like a tidal wave.  And suddenly, Ren's 'ghost' was right in front of him._

Kissing him, in fact, although all the blue-haired shaman felt was a feathery brush against his lips.  It was enough to freeze him to the spot, eyes bugging out of their sockets.

_:Now you know.  And now I'll be going, before I embarrass either of us further:_

Horo blinked; out of the corner of his eye, he saw an erratic jump on the heart monitor.  The second awareness that had started with the pain began to slide away, leaving a yawning darkness in its place – and Horo _grabbed_ desperately at it, following Ren into the hole he'd fallen through, holding him fast.

**_Do you want to die?  DO you?_**

****

**_No.  But…so tired.  I want to rest.  __A tug, annoyance radiating between them.  _****Let me go, Horohoro.  I don't want you to die.**

****

**_And you think I want you to?  Jesus, Ren, first you do the kissy-kissy on me and then you pull this?  __A grip of solid stubbornness – he was going to bring Ren back, no matter what it cost him.  **Not your time yet.**_**

****

_A ghost of a smile, tingeing pallid lips with soft humor.  **How do you know that?  You can feel my spirit – I'm worn to the bone.  Let me sleep.**_

****

**_Is this Tao Ren talking?  Strong, arrogant, masterful Tao Ren?  __A  sob, suppressed halfway.  **Hah.  Well, you sure had me convinced for awhile.  It was all a lie, then?**_**

****

**_Don't say that!  It's not true!_**

****

**_You're different from the Ren I know._**

****

**_I…_**

****

**_Ren.  Come back.  You can rest, in your body, in LIFE!  __His tone grows softer, sadder, pleading.  _****For me?**

****

**_I can't.  Sliding…away.  I'm being pulled onwards, and I don't want to fight it…_**

****

**_NO.  __The grip on him grows, if anything, stronger, drawing him away from the warming darkness.  _****Don't you DARE!  You don't just throw life away, Ren!  What's to be so tired of?  Koropokkuru take me, you're SUCH a big chicken…**

****

_A core of warm anger rekindles, growing into a bright, revitalizing flame._

**_WHAT did you say?_**

****

**_…not even trying, geh, what's wrong with you?  You're supposed to be such a tough guy?  Well, you're not exactly being convincing right now!_**

****

_And as he says this, he pulls the other one back into the world of light, and sound, and feeling, with an awesome rush of joy—_

Only to receive a massive punch in the face.  

From his position on the floor, Horo watched swirly-eyed as the upright figure in the bed flexed his hand, glaring down at him with angry golden eyes.  "How dare you!"

"Eee, itai…you don't need to hit me so hard!"

And Ren blinked in sudden, late-reaction to the significance of his just being _there.  "You brought me back…"_

"H-hai," replied Horohoro, still rather dizzy from Ren's punch.  "I'd rather be kissed by you when you're solid, you know?"

Ren just growled something incoherent in reply.

And somehow, they both realized that it was all going to work out just fine.

~-~-~-~-~

A/N: WAAARGH!  THEY'RE SO OOC! . And this wasn't a five-minute one either…more like five hours!  It didn't work out the way I wanted it to, either.  Not one bit! ________

Gyah.  Oh well.  I finally wrote a HoroxRen – yes, they are my favorite couple!  (Although HaoRen is a pretty close second.)  And yes, apparently I am going through the main characters.  Lemme see…that's Hao, Ren, and Horo.  At least I know what I write next.  It'll be HaoxYoh XD And then maybe a little Hao and Opacho thingee… (Not _that_ way.  Ick.)

No, I don't know how I come up with these things.  ^^; Talent (*snort*)?  Boredom-killer?  Muses on the rampage? *thinks a bit about the last one and glances off to the side*

Jiaan, Jorntil, Rukkhn, Maroku: _*Zzzzzzz…*_

Geh, maybe not.  Oh, Kaori, yep, I remember now.  It's from this AWESOME site called Shaman King MTV.  And White Eagle… O_O I did?  *glances at story* Umm…

You can all flame me for this horrible thing now, if you like… ^_^;


	4. Antipode

_-ichi-_

He does not think, at first, that they are worthy.

The comparison, in fact, is so patently ridiculous that he wonders how it can even exist.  On the one hand, Tao Ren, embodiment of a true warrior…and himself, Bason, the Tao family's loyal servant for century upon century.  On the other?  A loudmouthed, annoying brat with as much lack of discipline as he has appetite.  And as for his spirit – 

Well, the first time he sees Kororo, he is amused, at best.  How can this little sprite, so new in the world, even begin to compete with the dangers they will face in the fight for the title of Shaman King?  She and her master, they are all heart and no technique, and yet they still maintain a blind conviction that they will triumph over all challengers.  Pitiful, laughable!  What do they know of war?

And yet, he finds himself watching as little Kororo struggles to grow and train, to gain strength and power.  He catches her furtive glare in his direction, and smiles back, cold and neutral.

**_Prove yourself, child.  You and Horokeu both…before you come anywhere near __Ren-sama._**

****

_-ni-_

Over time, respect takes root and begins to grow.

Bason and his Bocchama train relentlessly.  The ancient general finds himself with a degree of strength he has never felt before in all his years of not-quite-afterlife.  It is something he sorely needs, for their endless fights with foes that seem to grow ever stronger, and do not always follow the code of fair play.

In fact, as he turns his mind to matters closer to home, he is surprised at the degree of resourcefulness the pair from the North has shown.  Certainly they have gotten farther than he would ever have given them credit for.  He certainly did not predict the frigid beauty (keen as a sword's edge) that Kororo finally revealed in her giant, armored Oversoul, or the volume of power Horokeu channels to her in his willful determination to keep going, despite the number of defeats tallying up against his victories.

Ice, he has discovered, is indeed an element to be reckoned with.  And its wielders are, he finally feels, beings he can look on with respect - equals.  They are those he can fight with in a team and feel secure because of their presence at his back. No longer a couple of nuisances, weaknesses he must protect.

His faith in Horokeu is justified at the finish of the Shaman Fight, in the lending of energy to Yoh and Amidamaru for their killing form, their killing stroke.  Later on, when he feels disapproval over the growing relationship of his young master with the blue-haired boy, he calls to mind the twin azure flames he had seen through the haze of power, brighter than the sun.

He also remembers the night the Shaman Fight ended with a special fondness, because it is the night he and the little leaf sprite converse, for the first time, as friends.

_-san-_

They tend to spent their time together now, a companionship held dear and not so easily lost.  When there is nothing to do (for events like the Fight are few and far between, and Anna's child gives her less time to play the tyrant), when it is late at night and their masters slumber on their beds or the warm space before the fire, they tell each other their own stories.

He speaks of battle and the trials of leadership, of dust and blood and days when you trudge across the burning plains with the feeling of death in your throat.  He speaks of the dance that is battle, _human _battle – sheer exhilaration and the feeling that the moment is forever yours in all its glory.  To fight for what you believe in, and to know that you will die for it, if necessary.  To continue the fight even after the battles have claimed your body and your life.

And she – she speaks of things entirely different.  Watching the sun shine through the waving masses of leaves, creating dappled reflections of green upon the earth.  Lazy days in the gentle world under the fukki fields, days sometimes when there is little to do but play.  Another aspect – the gentle watch over a people that is divided and dwindling into obscurity, and the rejoicing that ensues when a new life comes into the world, a new hope for the dying race.  The Koropokkuru elders' worried faces as they feel the constant destruction of the beautiful plants that are half their spirit.  Her own promise to do anything she could to protect her home, including feeling the restriction of being bound to a child on whom everyone has laid their hopes, young as he is, as they both are.  

Different backgrounds, different tales, such incredible contrasts that it is almost as though the tellers are from different worlds entirely.

_-shi-_

It is in these contrasts that Bason finally learns to accept.  For in their own way, Kororo and her Ainu boy have everything that he and his Bocchama have, and perhaps more.  For it is not only the fight they know, but the peace it brings.

And slowly but surely, Bason and Ren are learning the meaning of this peace from them.

It is more than enough.

~-~-~-~-~

A/N: O_o…that was a RenHoro by the way.  Not a BasonKororo.  I just thought it would be interesting to do a fic for the spirits…since if you think about it, they're absolutely essential to the show, ne?  And I made Bason use Horo's real name because I get the feeling it's more polite or meaningful or something?  Yeah.

I'm still listing what other one-shots I'm doing:

- Koropokkuru possible futurefic, 'Seedling'

- Sequel to 'Grip' (Maaaaybe. BIG maaaaybe.)

- HaoxYoh, 'Narcissus' 

- Hao and Opacho fic, 'Shatter,' (Bit of a maybe.  Want to see final episodes first.)

- Humor fic, 'Monday Morning.' (XD I want to finish this, I really do.  It's actually halfway done, yanno?)


	5. Walker

It was ironically black - nothing but the flickering glow of the candles in a night where the merest sliver of moon hung in the sky and the stars seemed to have turned their faces from the earth.  Jun shivered from something deeper than the nippy evening, even Pailong's arms not quite enough to ease the inner chill that assuaged her.

Ren's eyes met hers, as they stood apart - he by the coffin, she and Pailong in the shadows.  The liquid gold of his emotions was gone, and she observed with a pang the amber they had become, so much so that she felt like the meaningless insect, drowning in the inexorable tightening of cooling hardness.

"Otouto?"

_You look so alone, this night, when it is most dangerous to be so.  _Words unspoken and forever dead in the airlessness between them.

She broke away from Pailong to stand with him, and they stared together at the lavish wooden monstrosity that held the remains of what they had once feared most.  Stared without really seeing, for it did not seem all that important.

"Jun," his voice cracked momentarily, and she clutched convulsively at his callused hand at this sudden show of what he had hidden beneath a fragile mask, "I'm scared."  And he was indeed, she saw, the sisterly urge to embrace him rising up with a fierceness that she reined inward.  This time of all times Ren had to be strong...but she almost hated Yoh-tachi, lingering even farther back in the velvet cloak of night over the ceremony.  They disguised fear with the pretense of respect.

As fast as it came, the anger was gone.  No, she did not blame them.  She did not blame anyone, but she loathed what it was that created her little brother's white-knuckled grip on Horaiken's handle, that brought him within so much danger of becoming what he did not want to be on this lightless, breathless night.  

Tao Jun saw a stranger replace her brother for a fleeting moment, just enough to make her catch her breath.

And no matter how wrong she knew it to be, she cursed the clan that raised them both, damning all the so-called holy ancestors that had brought forth so much misery.

That night, it was not the empty shell of their father Tao Jun mourned, but the childhoods she found in minute golden shards, scattered and lost within a shroud of darkness.

~-~-~-~-~

A/N: Another five-minuter.  I heard a story once, that sometimes if a man or woman died before their time, they could take the bodies of their own children and force out their spirits.  Therefore said children were always supposed to have close companions for a certain time after the funeral to prevent such a thing happening.  Voila, fic. 

On another note, I can't believe I forgot to respond to reviews last chapter! ^^; Silly me.

'Circle' -  I dunno why I did a HaoRen, Shanna, I was in da mood! XD  Annu-Needs-Sanity…um.  Everything that was in his dreams – the wise child, moth, sparks and most definitely the Phoenix (white wings and dark plumes = cloar and hair, got it? ^_~) were aspects of Hao.  And the cloth circle came from Hao's cloak!  Get it now?

On 'Grip' I'm SO glad people liked it!  I could have sworn it was OOC but I guess people thought much better of it than I figured ^_^ Waiii!  Thanks all readers and reviewers!  See you in the next story!


	6. Bruise

I hate him for falling in love with me.

It's…it's not as though I love him back.  He knows it, and I know it, but to him it doesn't seem to matter.  When I've used him, treated him to the point where even_ I_ am ashamed of myself, I rage at his quiescence. He won't say a word of anger or complaint, he's just…silent.

He's weak.  Strong.  Neither.  Both.

I don't want to think of him the ways I do, and yet I can't stop myself.

He frightens me.  He confuses me.

I…

I don't know what to do.

----------

Twin points of light gleamed in the darkness, dull blue and exhausted.  The owner of said eyes moved sluggishly, untangling himself from the sex-stained bedsheets, unclasping the loose grip of his bedmate from around his waist.  Wincing slightly at the protests from his abused body, Horohoro moved towards the bathroom.

He stared at himself in the mirror, at the wide, blank eyes in his own thin visage, at the dark ugly-looking marks just hidden by his fall of bangs.

The young man sighed.  Yoh had asked him this afternoon if everything was alright.  Even Anna had thrown him a quizzical look when he had picked at his food for the third day in a row.  They had noticed the differences, but they still didn't know what was causing it…

When Horo hid things, he hid them just a little too well.  But in the midst of the agony…

_when__ Ren was taking him, using him for his need,  disregarding  his muffled screams of pain as his flesh tore in the violence of their union_

…a small voice screamed in the back of his mind, lost in the haze of sensation and the taste of blood in his mouth.  _Why?  Why?_

He grabbed a towel, dampened it,  and scrubbed away at himself, erasing the stickiness of dried sweat and Ren.  He wasn't a masochist, so why did he suffer himself to be tortured in this way?  Always, that inevitable question.  _Why?_

Walking back into the room, he felt a faint twinge of surprise to see Ren twisting and turning in the bed.  Moving closer, he watched in fascination as golden eyes suddenly shot open, glazed and unseeing, and the Chinese man's arms spread wide in a silent plea.  Asleep, yet caught in the throes of violent waking dreams.  Ren's face twisted with something nameless, and Horo recognized his name, just a nearly incomprehensible breath cradled between Ren's lips.  

He moved back into the bed, Ren immediately quieting as Horo held him uncertainly.  Horo heaved a deep breath as the other youth's powerful arms unconsciously wound themselves around him, holding him tight, needful, Ren's head burying itself in his chest.  He heard his name a final time, and then a string of unfamiliar syllables before Ren's breathing deepened back into the realm of one truly, blissfully asleep.

He closed his eyes and smiled slightly, holding the other's warm body against his.

_This is why._

~-~-~-~-~-

Maroku: Whoa.

Ehe.  Abusive/Angsty!Ren and Uke/Ansgty!Horo…what was I thinking?

Jorntil: Lemme guess…you weren't.

Duh.  *looks at readers* You like?  Review.  You hate/got confused?  Excuse me for having strange ideas at two in the morning on an empty stomach with a pile of homework, buckoes ^^; Ren and Horohoro wouldn't cooperate either, so this thing went through two or three rewrites before I was even slightly satisfied.  This is probably the darkest and most explicit story out of anything I've written/will write for the SK fandom…unless that HaoYoh comes out the way I want it.  Which is something between PG-15 and R.

Shanna…bwehehehehe….you obsessed me with SK, SANYUU BERY MUCHNESS! ^__^  I'm not complaining, I love this anime! (even if it is so hard to obtain episodes…don't worry I haven't watched 24 yet…)  Mahojin and liquefied*metal I'm so glad you like my writing!  (And I have only seen ONE YohHao in existence, but HaoYoh works too…my writing tends to be short because if I make them long, they drag out and get boring.  Trust me.  And…POMEGRANATE BOMBS!)

Oh, and I have too more to add to the 'Future Works' list of a few stories ago.

- A HaoLyserg (who here can't imagine this pairing?) from Morphin's p.o.v, 'Simple'

- Pailong/Jun, 'Watchful,' – zombies don't need sleep, right?  

Do you guys think the titles I use are good?  Because my sister told me that they didn't relate to the stories…tell me okay?

See you in the next chapter!

Jiaan: And yet again, the author's note becomes longer than the story.

Rukkhn: …


	7. Simple

Unlike many of the other spirits that roam this world in the company of shamans, I am inhuman.  'Fairy' is the name I have grown used to, despite my indignation at being compared to what was, in truth, the larger, somewhat brighter ancestor of a firefly.  

Beings such as I, we do not feel as humans like Master feel.  It could be interpreted as our 'colder' view of the world, but perhaps it would be the wiser.  For us hate, sorrow, and yes, even love, are unimportant things in the face of what it is we _are._

Oh…it is so hard to explain in terms that can be understood by a race that thinks, metaphorically, more from the heart than from the head!

We…my race prefers the simplicity of the play of light within the rain to the maelstrom of confusion that is fear, for example.

Do you understand now?  

…Never mind.

The important thing is that, being bonded to a human mind and soul for so many years (though time is not noted as much as the passing from master to mistress to master,) any sentient creature will have found out, as I have, that it is best to adapt.

For example, I have long since been used to Diethyl confusion.

Master Lyserg…he hates to the point where it is no longer even that emotion anymore.  There is a very human saying about the line between 'love' and 'hate.'  Master does not walk that line so much as he weaves, like a wildflower caught in a breeze.  Sometimes he leans one way.  Sometimes the other.

The line, I think, is his security.  I believe that at the same time, he is losing control of it.

Why else would he try to kill the master of Fire?  (Were it not my loyalty – ah, another human trait I have garnered through the decades – to do so, I would not help him here, for Fire is the worst thing that can happen to one of Nature.)    

And why else would he, against all that makes sense in this world, meet him willingly in the night?

I never sleep, after all.  I see Fire's embodiment come in the darkness.  I watch my master's reaction, the crystal of his mind and emotions tumbling, dead leaves in a winter wind.

Then Fire takes him away until the dawning.  I follow, but never close enough to know what happens between them.  For there is nothing worse for me, I have found, than to be disconnected from the Diethyl personality, without purpose.  Alone.  (Another concept that, for all my experience with it, I can never fully understand.)

It is not as though I can return to my history, can I?  The field of mountain flowers lies lifetimes away.  

It is also for Master Lyserg that I no longer come near.  He is so unsure already, he does not need to know that were Fire at all displeased, he would be lost in the most absolute way…everything that made him…anything…gone.  Burned beyond ashes.  And I would be lost with him as well.  (Selfishness, self-preservation.  More of these vexing thoughts!  And vexation has infringed as well?!)

This is why I never stop him.

It is the best way to solve this.

(…Ah, how human I have become.)

~-~-~-~-~-~

A/N: Haha!  Unbalanced Morphin!  XDXDXD

That last story just about carried it's own bad karma, I swear.  Since I got twice-banned from the home computer (don't ask), I wrote _this fic after school.  Hooray for considerate teachers!_

Maroku: I told you, you shouldn't have tortured Horohoro on his birthday.

Mmm, I didn't even know.  *sees Horo glaring* I SWEAR I DIDN'T!

EneriRenie…I addicted you to Ren/Horo? O.o I've never addicted anyone before…thanks!  And I've tagged the Hao x Jeanne to the list of stories to do, although I need to brainstorm ideas for that one first.  CheinEin - =D  I'm glad you liked it!  (And I wubble your devarts!)

 See you guys next chapter!


	8. Watchman

At times, I believe that my entire life has become a dream.  After all, that is what death is supposed to be, right?  A neverending slumber for the body, whilst the soul floats off and finds other things to do.  In most cases, that is.

Did you know that zombies never sleep?  I have tried, believe me.  I have found the yawning chasm which awaits the should-be corpse, the fear, the nothing.

For the dead, sleep is destruction.

Mistress Jun was able to rescue me, that one time when I tried to escape into the haven of slumber.  She was strong enough for that miraculous feat.  _Just _strong enough – even so powerful a _dao_-shi _risks falling into the void with whomever she tries to rescue.  She was unconscious for days._

Master Ren was furious with me.  _I _was furious with me.  I begged her forgiveness when she woke.  She replied that there was nothing to forgive, and I realized in that moment just how much she was to me.  Dreams of a life that had been gone for years held little meaning in the face of this young woman – she was, is, the here and now and everything I live for.

I told her the truth - that without her, I was nothing.  She never did reply, but she understood.

Now, I no longer attempt slumber, no longer need repose beyond the softness of the night, the quiet reassurance of my mistress' breathing as I stand watch.

Pailong, she calls me, seated on her bed.  Aren't you uncomfortable?

I shake my head and try to grin, and she smiles sweetly back, forcing something very much like a leap in my chest, despite the fact that my heart ceased beating years ago.

Then she clicks off the light, and leaves me alone in the velvet darkness with my thoughts.

I am the sentinel. I will guard you in the night.

Sleep well, mistress Jun.

~-~-~-~-~

A/N: Saaaa…much, much shorter than I wanted it to be, but all I could come up with during tutorial time.  *mewls*  Dunno when I'll have time to write the others – mom getting suspicious when I stay after school and all that, wot.  Besides, I think this aspect of the Pailong/Jun pairing is rather overdone, but I couldn't concentrate till I'd finished! ^_^

Kaori – I've only seen…um…one other Morphin fic (I like writing for underappreciated characters! =D) I didn't realize Jeanne had red eyes though, it might have confused people… _; *imagines Jeanne calling Lyserg 'Master' and starts to laugh*

EneriRenie – Awww, you're not? ^^; Sorry 'bout that mistake.  I'll try to write more and get you addicted XD

Hao-sama rulze the world -  I already have an appetite like Horo's…I know I'm going to get fat one of these days =D But thanks for the reminder! *chows down on a few oranges*

Well, that's it for now, see you guys!


	9. Messiah

_ashes__ to ashes…_

This church, he muses, is a masterpiece.

Flames rear hungrily, lapping at the sky.  Once-dulled timbers and stone give their essence into their final destruction, beautiful collections of fiercely orange embers.  Brilliant sparks dance over the ruined building's face, like tiny demons from the depths of hell, reveling in the wantonness of the destruction.

_dust__ to dust._

The bells clang fiercely, their tolling deep and loud over the crackle of the inferno.  His face twists in displeasure, and above him the Spirit of Fire looms, cutting their mighty voices short with a fireball which shatters them into beads of molten metal.

_forgive__ them, for they know not what they do._

She watches him.  There is pain, raw and agonizing, burning all along her nerves, but she is too mesmerized by the figures and the fire to notice.  She realizes she is the only one stirring.  Blackened husks attest to her defenders and their terrible, mercifully quick ends.

Of a sudden, the stink of their charred flesh reaches her nostrils.  Though she wills herself to silence, her stomach protests, bile rising in her throat.  Their lives, wasted…the X-Laws are no more.

She attempts to stand, even to crawl, so she may approach and grant them a small mercy of prayer.  Something grinds nauseatingly in her hip, and she retches, collapsing back to the blackened soil.

"…Ghhhkkk…"

He smiles, turning his head slightly to regard her, sprawled, injured and defenseless, even Shamash deserting her in the final hour of need.  "Hallo, milady Jeanne."

_the__ Word was made flesh, and walked among us._

He is magnificent, she cannot help thinking.  Cruelly, coldly regal as he tramples the ashes of her followers beneath his feet in contempt, a grotesque parody of the Savior's triumph.  He stands before her, his ever-present smirk firmly in place.  "Is it not beautiful, how our territories become one tonight?"

She hisses at his cruelty.  "How _dare _you."

_pray__ for us sinners now and at the hour of our deaths_

His tone changes, becoming more gentle, more thoughtful.  "Should I kill you now, milady Jeanne, or save you for later pleasures?  Should I grant you a swift death?  Use your soul to feed my Spirit of Fire?  Decisions…decisions…"

Her ruby eyes grow cold with rage, like brittle gems, as he continues his monologue. "Or, hmm. You would indeed make a fine mate…and the most ironic possible one, at that." He kneels in a single, achingly graceful movement, gathering her form against him. She shudders at his nearness, raging at the tiny part of her brain that takes comfort in the warmth against her injured side.

_your__ kingdom come_

She pushes futilely at his cloaked chest. "Does not the conqueror grant a wish to those beneath him? _Leave me alone. I will not be courted by the likes of you." She does not wish to be anything to this, this defiler – yet she already knows his touch far too well. Memories long buried rise, and against all odds she blushes._

Iron Maiden Jeanne, blushing in this devil's arms? Ridiculous, yet it has been proven possible. Only here. Only now.

 "But I have been courting you for the longest of times, have I not, Jeanne?" Her name, such a simple word without the honorifics usually attached to it, so seductive from his mouth. "What is your answer, then?"

She slaps him, the only action left to her. And he laughs in response, the sound ringing high into the skies, clear as a child's.

_your__ will be done_

He kisses her then on the ivory-pale lips, and she offers no resistance as he laps warmly at the trickle of blood on her chin. She gives him no response, tiny body limp in his arms.

 "Your blood – it's still so sweet, so disgustingly _innocent. _Like the rest of you, I shouldn't wonder. Or…no, wait. I am wrong, am I not?"

She sighs in resignation, eyes turned towards the flame-filled heavens. "I am not innocent, Hao. You stole that a long time ago."

His grin mocks her, voice muffled against the pale flesh of her neck. "Ah, but I did not steal it, milady. You gave it to me willingly."

Then he lets her go, eyes locked with hers, magma meeting steel. "If you have no answer for me, milady, I will take my leave." He strolls away, stride nonchalant. She understands her choices – go with him or die here.

Go with Hao.

Die here, gloryless.

There is no God to help her in this crucial moment.

_as__ we forgive those who sinned against us_

She spits the words like blood to the ravaged ground, aware of how they tear at her throat – words of power, harsh and uncontrollable. "Hao, wait."

He stops in his tracks, not even deigning to look back at her.

**_Lord forgive me_**_, _she asks the baleful eyes of the stars, and receives no reply.

_in__ the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost_

Come dawn, a hesitant breeze stirs the flurry of ashes, raising swirls of white dust upon the smoky air.  There is no one living, there is nothing living.  The ruins of the holy building crumble into stillness, a final testament to the souls who have long since drifted away.

_amen__._

 ~-~-~-~-~

A/N: *starts waving and pointing at EneriRenie* Look! It's the HaoJeanne I promised you! ^_____^

I'm rather proud of this one O.o It's one of those things that hits you in a bunch of fragments, and I had to work to piece all of the fic together! But I'm pleased enough with the end result…except, I don't know if Jeanne might be OOC. And yes, I killed the X-Laws. Please ignore this because I'm never going to do it again. (*whimpers* Marco…and Lyserg-chan…T_T) and in my brain, HaoJeanne always = burning church. I can't help it.

Isis Hotep – Thanks, glad ya liked!  EneriRenie – Yeah…they're such a sweet couple, ne?  Dragon Faere - *nod nod*  Unintentional Nightmare – Yes, I enjoyed writing that one _ Sounds like something Bakahoro would say…I'll think about the HaoRen, I have a lot on my plate at the moment…

Miruu...R&R on this, onegai? I've been let back on the computer, but my parents think I'm doing schoolwork…so make my effort worth it? T_T Reviews make any author's day, plus a bit of constructive criticism would really be appreciated! (Not that I don't like simple 'this was good!' but if it gives me a chance to improve my writing, I'll definitely be happy.)

Maroku: Review whore!

Am not!

Muses: Are too!

_AM NOT!_

Before this fight gets any worse…see you in the next story!


	10. Golden

_Once upon a time, he was the prince, and she the princess.  They first met each other by their parents' wishes, in a time where tiny kingdoms scrabbled for alliances within countries ravaged by war._

_There was no feeling formed between them but the frozen rage that had sparked from the first meeting of their gazes, brown meeting gold in a clash of regal defiance.  Neither wanted to have anything to do with each other, yet they were forced to by the rules of the court and the lives they were born into._

_He found her cold, so cold, yet at the same time unbelievably fascinating.  _

----------

You don't remember.  I should have known.

I guessed, before I even spoke, that you would refuse to join me.  It was like that in the beginning (and by this I mean the _very _beginning.)  You always scorned me, proud creature that you were, showing the bare minimum of manners within the court, and outside of it, not even that.

Of course, I could stand that easily.  I was Asakura Hao, after all, whole and complete – this was long before the time when my twin brother came into the equation.  It was ingrained in my nature (as it is now, although I believe Yoh has taken on much of that trait himself) to overcome any obstacle in my path.  Fiery one, you believed you could send me away with your temper?  It was what attracted me in the first place!

…Well, that, and your body.  Hah, any fool could have seen you were your clan's pride, striking everyone with your exotic looks and those fierce, beautiful, unforgettable golden eyes!

I grow sentimental – ah, how like me, confusing the lives I have lived.  You stand before me now as you did before, yet much of the scene is different.  We are younger, no longer surrounded by the walls of our palaces and far more tempered by the battles that characterize this particular area of time.  And of course, I am not all of what I was (thanks to the annoying quirk that is Asakura Yoh)…and neither are you.

I see it so very, very clearly.  Unlike other incarnations, these particular ones seem to have an incredibly bad habit – as it is with me and my brother, so it is with you…and your sister.  Yoh has taken on a part of my soul and turned it into his own.  Tao Jun has, on the other hand, her own unique soul, yet small pieces of yours have been incorporated throughout it.  Much as I hate to say it, the best comparison for the change is a pair of _kyonshii, _bodies altered and parts switched around.  After all, for you and your sister, it works both ways.  She has taken some of your gentler traits; you have taken much of her fierce joy in battle.  Fitting and fortunate, for a priestess and a warrior.  

This, your gender, and the way in which you have grown up, have molded you into a different sort of perfection.  Yet…though you are Tao Ren, when you look at me with those same enthralling eyes…I still see what you _were.  Wei Lian, the grace of the emperor's courts._

It doesn't matter, all these petty little things that have changed the two of us.  

Prince and princess, prince and prince.

Asakura and Wei…or Tao.  Hao and Lian.  Hao and Ren.

You will be mine again…

Because I have all the time in the world, and the desire to give it to you.

You'll see.

----------

_"The stars are beautiful tonight."_

_She doesn't turn around, too used to hearing his voice behind her shoulder.  "Hmm."_

_An uncomfortable silence stretches between the two of them for long minutes.  At long last, he finally sighs and gets up from his seat, gliding (yes, gliding, Asakura Hao would never stoop to doing something as simple and unrefined as _walking_) to lean on the balcony beside her.  She rolls her eyes.  "Go away."_

_"Why do you hate me?"_

_The question comes out of nowhere and takes her by surprise for one of the few times in her young life.  He makes her uneasy - yes, infuriates her - very much so.  But…_

_"I don't hate you."_

_"Hmm," he replies, in an unconscious imitation, turning away from the balcony, eyes capturing her own.  The stars and her own visage (slanted golden eyes, upswept dark hair and that one stubborn curl that always hangs low over her forehead) glimmer darkly, trapped in his gaze._

_How confusing._

_Almost as one they break off their stares, accepting the stalemate to watch the moon rise, full and round and bright in the clear glittering sky.  And when his hand rests lightly upon hers, she finds a degree of tolerance within herself that she never thought she could have, and leaves it there._

~-~-~-~-~

A/N: Mrrew, twisty HaoRen.  Blame Chocolove for this.  It was his 'Cinderella Lian' joke that got me started.  So Ren and Horohoro can go kill him, not me. *snerks at the screams of bloody murder behind her*

After all…if Hao can reincarnate, why not the rest of the Shaman King cast? =P I was going to have HoroRen undertones in there, but I couldn't bring myself to ruin the story that way.  Ah, Hao with multi-life complex. =3

EneriRenie – Sankyuu =D 'Messiah' actually took me the longest, more of a five-day one than a five-minute one -_-; *finds self pulled toward keyboard by your order* ACK!  Dragon Faere – Yesh, ish dark.  What else would a HaoJeanne be? XD Unless I write Jeanne like Tamao…urgh. *shudder*

Adding to the future one-shots list!

Cliffside (RenHoro, similar to this one.  Will be my X-mas fic ^.^)

Kittens (Once upon a time, there was Ren-chan, Yoh-kitty, Hao-neko…and more, because Draconicality likes random crazy shtuff.)

Bet (Ren asks Pailong, "Do you love my sister?" _ Knew I'd do it sooner or later.)

Wall (Reflection on Tamamura Tamao, and the timidness she characterizes.  Angstfest, in other words.)

I also want to do a fic for Chocolove or Mick (they're so underappreciated,) but I need an idea first.

Seeeeeeee you on Christmas Daaaaaay!  *tumbles off the roof*


	11. Cliffside

A/N: My Christmas fic, though it's not really Christmas in this.  *sighs* Maybe 'Kittens' would have been better, but I had this aching to get out of my head.  'Sides, the cover pic for 'Kittens' is my Christmas artwork. And you guys don't mind a good RenHoro once in a while, ne? ^_~

Oh, and this is the sequel to 'Grip,' which was the third story of this collection.  I guess it would be easier to understand this one if you've read that already.

~-~-~-~-~

The first bite of frost had begun a week ago, transforming the atmosphere throughout the region from warm to decidedly nippy.  Horohoro blew out a sigh, watching his breath mist in the cloudy air and rubbing at his bare forearms.  Yep, it was definitely going to be a perfect Christmas.  Maybe he could even do some proper snowboarding this year, without Kororo having to tire herself out blanketing the place in white and then running away from a furious Anna.

"Hey, Boroboro-"

He turned around, biting back his usual retort of 'It's HOROHORO, you baka,' as he saw Yoh outlined in the doorway.  "Hm?"

"Can you call Ren in?  I think he wants to catch his death of cold before the night is over, but we don't want that, ne?"

Horohoro nodded distractedly.  "Uh-huh…sure.  I will."

How could Yoh have known that he'd been trying to work up the courage to do just that?  Oh well, that was the lazy-eyed Asakura for you…he didn't seem the perceptive sort, but he was.  Horohoro waited for the closing click of the door behind him before sighing and trudging towards the figure he had been watching for the past two hours.

----------

Ren had been thinking.  He liked to think a lot, but this was one particular topic he had avoided until recently.  And the cliff behind the Funbari Onsen resort was about the best place to ruminate on a certain blue-haired pest, if one ignored the constant chill on the breeze.

Horo…he still couldn't believe how strong the other boy had been, holding him in the world of life.  Even though he'd been unwilling to go back, the Ainu youth had been able to motivate him (albeit in a rather unwise manner – 'big chicken,' _honestly) _enough to pull him out of the void he had let himself fall into.

And then there had been the matter of the kiss…

_…pressing his lips against the other's in the most intimate farewell he could think of, although he knew that it would scarcely be felt…the underlying regret and embarrassment that had slipped gradually into warm darkness…_

_"I'd rather be kissed by you when you're solid, you know?"_

Ren exhaled a little, Horo's presence a warm comfort in his chest.  He doubted the other shaman even knew of the spirit-bond that had remained from their little incident, so subtle but _there.  _It was a little unnerving, feeling someone else's thoughts and emotions and knowing that they could feel yours as well, but it was rather…nice…to tell the truth.

Thought interrupted, he felt the awareness of the other boy strengthen, even as his ears picked up the crunching of leaves under the Ainu's boots.  

"Hey," he greeted, patting the rocky ground beside him.  "C'mon.  It's a beautiful night."  The words felt unnatural, almost awkward, coming from his mouth, but they worked. Horohoro plumped down beside him quietly, and Ren, for once, welcomed the intrusion into his personal space.  

"Here," mumbled the Ainu, dropping Ren's coat and muffler into his lap.  The Chinese shaman pulled his winter gear on gratefully. "It's getting cold, and – hey!  Look!"  He grinned gleefully as a gentle flurry of white began it's descent from the heavens.  "First snow of the season!"  He reached for the little flakes with almost childish wonder, laughing as they melted into tiny droplets on contact with his hands.

Ren smiled, leaning against the other boy in contentment.  _Is this what I want?_

Horohoro's laughter petered out into a happy sort of silence.  And then he turned his gaze a little to the side – allowing his gaze to be captured by a pair of mesmerizing, cattish golden eyes.

"Ren…"

The rest of his sentence (and his thoughts) were instantly scattered to the four winds as Ren's mouth meshed against his own in a heated kiss, a shock of pleasure going through both their bodies as both boy's eyes slid closed, Horo's hand burying itself in Ren's hair as the lip-lock deepened.

Then abruptly it was over, and the two boys parted, eyes wide and breathing a little heavier than normal.

"That was…I mean…" 

"We should go inside."

"Y-yeah…we…um…I mean, no!  Let's just stay here for a while, and, er, yeah."  Exasperated with his rebellious mind for making him stammer like an idiot, Horohoro finally shut up.  

Ren chuckled a little, snuggling comfortably against Horo's side and wrapping an arm around him.  "Sure."

He'd just answered his own question.  

The two of them sat contentedly against each other as the snow spiraled down, Ren realizing slowly that he'd never need to feel the cold again.

~-~-~-~-~

A/N:  Awwwww, holiday sappy fluuuuuuffff! ^o^  Kinda tossed this out in a hurry (longer than a five-minuter but shorter-timed than average) I also decided to get two birds with one stone and made it the sequel to 'Grip,' since the first one I'd thought of was cheesy (yes, cheesier than this where I made them both act like saps.)  I've also finally thought of my Chocolove one-shot.  

I dunno where the cliff came from. -_-; Let's just say the imaginary Funbari Onsen of the Mankin future universe has plenty of trees surrounding it, and a cliff at the back, 'k?  I can't describe kisses well… *wistful sigh*  WHAT?!?  Stop staring!

Unintentional Nightmare – You don't know HOW much those compliments mean to me *wipes away a tear* And I loved your first SK ficcy!  Hao/Ren…purr…  Hao-sama rulze the world – Arigatou gozaimasu!  And there will be many new chapters in the future, believe me… _O  EnerieRenie – Maaa!  *eats whip*  Yummy!  *giggles* Hai, I knew it was weird from the moment I got the idea o.o; I know there's an SK fic slightly similar to it, but I dunno where it is…hm…but c'mon.  Reincarnation?  Why not? =D I'm glad you liked 'Messiah' so much, y'all were the one who inspired me to write it too! ^_^

See you in the next chapter, and MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!  (Posting this approx. 30 minutes after midnight, on December 25, 2003, in the Philippines – advanced Merry Christmas to those in time-zones that are one day behind ^^;)


	12. Touch

**Warning.**  The thingy you're about to read is kinda explicit – not enough to rate R or NC-17, but getting there.  Also, it's yaoi.  Blatant two-guys-screwing.  Run or read on, it's your choice…the lack of capitals and some punctuation were intentional, but they might make it difficult to read.

~-~-~-~-~

_when you let me take you, it's not submission for you, not dominion for me_

_-- it's acceptance for us both --_

_unspoken permission in the way your hands trace themselves over my cheek, how you kiss me_

_-- not rough like it usually is, but gentle, oh so gentle, your tongue sliding over mine.  you taste like steel and spices.  sharp, irresistible, unforgettable --_

_no words; words would ruin everything.  instead the silence broken only by the softest, the lowest of sounds.  touch me, you say with your eyes, half closed behind long dark lashes.  do it_

_-- so rare, these moments.  you're so willing --_

_the first time this happened, i thought it was a dream, that you would never allow it from _anyone, _much less from me_

_-- a private miracle, that you let me near you at all --_

_there is more than perfection here in this room, i always think to myself – something far, far better.  there is warmth, and the first coherent phrase that passes from your lips.  my name, you whisper my name, and it's all i could ever ask for_

_-- you don't resist me as i enter you, body relaxed underneath mine, only the set of your jaw and the way your nails dig into my arms betraying pain that is a twinge in the dark and gone.  i know that much – our positions are so often in reverse --_

_i never understand how you can be so unresisting, giving yourself up in this most intimate of ways.  always you fight for dominion, for authority, for power over others.  why not here?  even when _he _claimed you, you resisted.  so how come with me, of all people, that is never the case?_

_-- because i don't expect it, don't ask for it, don't ever take it for granted? --_

_skin to skin, desire for desire, movement for movement, pleasure for pleasure; spirits, loving you like this is  indescribable.  nothing in the world matters more than this moment.  ride it with me_

_-- i want you to feel, to forget _him _even if it's just for a short while.  to be gentle where he was hurtful (though i believe it when you say you've gotten over that, it's just something i have to _do_.)  i want to heal your old wounds and smooth away every…last…trace… --_

_heat, desperate strain  and the feeling of a rising, cresting wave of sensation that crashes down  and sweeps me away in the white light of release_

_-- bound by the feel of your heartbeat against mine and the breathless gasps resounding in my ears --_

_the room seems very warm and very quiet when i  finally open my eyes and pull away from you.  as i watch, your breathing slows, evens out, but you don't open your eyes, face relaxed and drowsy.  turning over, i pull you into my arms, tracing the familiar pattern on the span of your back;  for once, you don't shove me away_

_-- and the night folds velvet wings as you let me hold you, drifting blissfully into the realm of dreams…--_

_share it with me awhile._

~-~-~-~-~

A/N: Geeeehhhh.  I _never wrote anything THAT explicit before, though…well…is this counted as R?  I don't think it deserves a rating so high, though…_

I LIKED writing this, truth be told…and not really for its content, you perverts.  I guess I'm just a sucker for the 'dreamy' feel I tried to include in it, and the sort-of-undertones of what could be a plot.  (Yeeeaaaaaah.)

Beta 4 Hire – Fluff good.  Unintentional Nightmare – I've seen a couple of RenLyserg comics, very funny things XD Everyone loves Ren, ne?  And Horohoro shouldn't wear shorts all the time.  He'll catch a cold.  EneriRenie – Alam ko!  Okay nga e, masarap pag malamig!  Mwahaha…my RenHoro fangirlness is catching…mwahaha…Ren/Pilica is good too though *nods*  Mahojin - *squish* I'm glad you liked it… *JEALOUSY* YOU HAVE MANKIN MANGA?!  It's so hard to find manga here… *whimpers* I wanna order Shonen Jump.  

So, can you guess the pairing here, and the 'him' who keeps getting mentioned?  To my eye, it's really easy…but I dunno.  List your guess in the reviews if you like – I'll write a one-shot on request for whoever gets all three right first, as long as it doesn't involve a Mary-Sue or a pairing that is just too darn impossible (e.g. Chocolove x Kalim or something….argh!  BAD IMAGE!)

Sou da, read, review, make your guesses and I'll see you all next chapter!


	13. Tenshi

Meene can't see.  Her eyelids, her whole body, every limb, every extremity, they feel like lead.  She can't move, and it's better that way.  

Because maybe if she moves, the pain will return, the icy heat that impaled her, blinded her, melted her bones and replaced them with metal.  Talking to Lyserg had dimmed the pain a little, but the stakes of cold that have ripped her from her body were agony, and impossible to forget.

Being dead is very strange, she reflects in a detached sort of way.  Robbed of sight, she nevertheless feels Kevin and Venstar at her sides – they smell like fire and molten steel, having perished in Hao's flame.

Nearer to her is the fear.  She knows what will happen, should Jeanne-sama and Marco (or, spirits forbid, Asakura Yoh) fail in their fight against Hao.  They will be devoured utterly by the Spirit of Fire, cast into agony beyond hell.  Beyond even the simplicity of death.

She knows how close that fate is for her.

But…

But she was not wrong to put her faith in gentle Lyserg.  She hears him cry out, a scream anguished enough to pierce the heavens, to tear the sky from it's moorings in grief.

The change is sudden, the ominous feel of Asakura Hao's _mochirei_cut clean away in a flurry of crystal thought, and Meene is surrounded by the familiar aura of Gabriel, the soothing cool touch of the other Angels, and a spirit so foreign she hesitates to name it.

Meene has never known something so pure and rare, so beautiful, so holy.  She gives herself to Lyserg's power, knowing that at the last, at the very last, here is where goodness is found.  

In the blending of Morphin and the _tenshi-tachi_is the wild, unstoppable force and mothering gentility of nature, and the implacable sleek beauty of metal, the awesome gleam of the heavens.  And in it, too, she and the other fallen Angels find their souls, their purpose, saved.

A door opens, clear and bright amongst the clouds.  Morphin-Gabriel nudges her towards it, her heart swelling as she glimpses the figures that stand inside, welcoming her with open arms.

And in the end…

Meene is…

Finally…

Home.

~-~-~-~-~

A/N: Hi, everyone, I'm back!  It's nice to get rid of writer's block and be able to update again.  That story (which signifies my return to 5-minute drabbles) was from X-Law Meene's (the only girl -_-;) POV…I guess it's a little confusing, unless you've seen episode 58, which is when this happens.

It's one of my favorite episodes.  Don't ask me why.

I love oranges, I love oranges, I love oranges, I love oranges…

I'll stop now.

Unintentional Nightmare - THAT was the word I was looking for.  Soft.  Grr…but thanks.  EneriRenie (I think.  Who wrote the no-name review? O_o; I'm guessing, here) - *grabs by the collar and shakes* Where's Comic Alley?  WHEEEEERE?  And I'm glad 'Touch' wasn't taken as R…I was really, really nervous posting it -_-; Thanks for the fave…and yes, you guessed right, it was Horo/Ren and the 'he' was Hao.  I'm too predictable!  Now you get to request a one-shot :P Maybe I'll finish it in time for Valentine's!  dalphin crage – Sankyuuuuuu~! *glomp*  Mahojin – Well, like I said, I was really, really really really nervous posting it, because I'm a big fat wimp too.

Maroku: You got that right!

Shut up, muse!  Erm…that ish all for now.  EneriRenie (was it you…?) please make your one-shot request, ne?  And I also have…thirteen other one-shots in the works, so yes, a lotta writing in future.  

See you in the next chapter!


	14. Scar

Light crept into the room like a curious kitten, dancing her dappled way over rumpled bedsheets.  She pawed gently at loose strands of azure hair, grinning with mischief (if light could grin) as her touch reached dark lashes, calling to what lay beneath.  _It's__ morning, _she heralded.  _Banish the dark!  Get up!_

Horohoro yawned, stretching carefully so as not to disturb the warm form curled up against his side.  He grinned fondly at the bundle of sheet and bare skin that was his bedmate, who's eyes were well-shielded by arms and navy-violet bangs.  Light played up and down these obstacles, trying to find the tiniest chink in the still-sleeping boy's defenses.

Nope.  Not today.  

Ren slumbered on, undisturbed, breathing slow and calm and deep.  Horohoro guessed that was a good thing, as it gave him time to study what he'd caught just a glimpse of the previous night.  He wondered if he'd imagined it. . .

Nah.  He could see it, in the subtle shift of skin and muscle on what was exposed of the Chinese man's back.  He trailed gentle fingers over the other's flesh, tracing the outline of something. . .odd.  It seemed to snake along in serpentine curves, thin and coiling and nearly invisible, traced in ink that was near the same shade as the skin it adorned.

_A tattoo._He paused as Ren shifted position in his sleep, craning closer to catch the flicker of pale-sandy scales, spines, claws.  _It's beautiful, but it's so hard to see!  _He noted the way the graceful lines stood out stark against the darker flesh of Ren's terrible scar (Horohoro winced at that thought and the memories it carried) and how the artist had allowed it to curve _around _what remained of the Tao family symbol, rather than let the design get sullied by the ugly stark black of the original.

A soft rustle.  Horo suddenly smiled sheepishly, having just been confronted with one half-open gold eye.  ". . .good morning?"

Ren huffed, obviously very wide awake but unwilling to move.  "You could have just _asked, _you know."

Horohoro could have retorted that Ren's persistence in their. . .activities last night had prevented that, very effectively indeed.  But since this was Horohoro we're talking about, all he could do was sit there and look like the child that's been caught with his hand in, or rather on, the proverbial cookie jar.

Ren rolled his eyes.  The blue-haired boy was giving him the dreaded puppy-eyes.  _Oh no. . ._

He gave in - it wasn't hard.  "The old man wanted me to have the family symbol redone," he growled quietly.  The memory was not a bad one, just unusual.  "The scar, it wouldn't take the black dyes, no one could figure out why.  So I had that done instead."

Horohoro looked puzzled.  "But it's so. . .invisible."

All of a sudden, the world spun and tipped, resolving itself into Horohoro-flat-on-his-back-with-a-grinning-Ren-sitting-on-top-of-him.  "Good."

The Ainu would have asked 'why,' but the question was drowned in the heated mouth which captured his own.  Ren's hands trailed feather-light over his cheek and jawline, moving lower. . .lower. . .

Horohoro, at least for the moment, wisely decided to forget about it.  

~-~-~-~-~

A/N: *blinks* Well, that ending was a surprise.  Damn teenage boy hormones.  Damn uncooperative Ren.  Damn Kazaa, because none of my SK eppy downloads are completing themselves until possibly the weekend.

Early Happy Valentines Day, people!  Yeah, this is my V-Day fic, full of RenHoro fluff as per usual.  There's some symbolism with the tattoo there.did you get it?

Hao's girl - Heehee.  Hao/anybody but Yoh is probably a little weird because HAO AND YOH BELONG TOGETHER DARN IT.  O_o; Just joking.  Hao x Ren is something I write on an occasional whim.  In my little fangirl's world, Ren and Horohoro are the ultimate SK pairing.  So why do I always love HaoRenYoh or HaoRenHoro? O_O Okay, enough talk about pairings here. . .I'm starting to drool. . .oh, yeah.  I get undubbed SK from Kazaa, so. . .  Unintentional Nightmare - Err.  HORORen.  Hao hurt Ren before in 'Touch,' apparently. *grumbles*  Meene. . .poor Meene. (I think Mine is the real name, yes, but writing the word 'mine' too many times weirds me out, so, yes.)  Isis Hotep - Meene, Jeane, Lyserg and Marco are my favorite X-Laws.  *sniffles* I didn't know whether to cry when Meene died or goggle at pretty Morphin-tenshi.  EneriRenie - XD I guessed right!  Crazy FF.net.  I get to request a one-shot.?  Yaay! ^_^  Can you write YohAnna.?  It's the one pairing I've never been able to write properly O_o;  I'll be waiting for your request!  And thanks for telling me where Comic Alley is XD Mahirap pumunta sa SM *cries* Wala sa Glorietta?

*waves* See you in chapter 15!  Two more one-shots and this will officially be my longest-running set of fics!


	15. Freefall

The scene must look, he realizes dully, like a tableaux of almost comical statues.  All so focused, so intent on the small body turning a graceful arc in the air above.  Ren's arms spread wide, almost as though he is truly flying--

The back-breaking thud shatters the spell of slowness, but even then they are all incredulous.  Even Bason…even Bason looks as though he doesn't quite believe it.  Until the blood leaks darkly from under Ren's back, good god, he's never seen so much blood, so much dull crimson sticky life outside anyone's body before.  If he thought it would do any good, he'd try and force it back into Ren.  A mental hiccup.  Ren's blood into his veins, where it's supposed to be, not spreading out like desecration onto the sacred soil and godohgod is he still breathing?  Why is his face like that, so tortured and still and his eyes are closed _please _Ren open your eyes _please – _

It has to be some horrible mistake, this can't be Ren in such a vulnerable position, it's one of those things that's just not supposed to happen, can never happen, should never happen, unthinkable.

At first, he doesn't recognize the tortured scream as his own.  

And then he's already moving, holding onto that single syllable as though if he says it loud enough, long enough, then Ren will hear it and then he'll tell him to shut up or call him a baka, or anything, anything but the awful silence, the stillness.  

Then the cloth-masked man is in the air and there's nothing for it but to bring up the ikupasui, defend with the oh-so-brittle wall of ice and pray he can hold it long enough, just long enough for Faust to do something, anything.  He falls into the familiar rhythm of combat, trying not to think about all that blood, Faust's desperate voice behind him, Ryu's and Chocolove's pained cries as they're knocked back into his own cruelly cold shield, a sort of final defiance.

And of course, in the end, not even his own small power is enough, Eres Correct chipping it away so quickly it barely has time to begin to melt.  

Without Lyserg and his beautiful Morphin-_tenshi,_ they would all be dead.

Without Ren opening his eyes and springing into action as he always does, that fate would have been reserved for the green-haired Diethyl alone.

Horohoro can't fight the pang of relieved joy at seeing that familiar tiger-gaze, but he wishes he could take back the hot streak of jealousy at seeing Ren holding someone else in his arms.  He pushes it to the back of his thoughts, because proud arrogant Tao Ren will probably never even consider him that way anyway, and it would be stupid to have begrudged Lyserg his life on petty, ridiculous possessiveness that he doesn't even have the right to feel.

Horohoro welcomes him back the only way he can.  "_Bakayarou_, do you know how much trouble we all went through for you?"

The answer is shocking, to say the least.  And though Ren's monumental apology (since when did the stiff-necked Chinese boy apologize for anything, anyway?) is for all of Yoh-tachi, Horohoro sees, just for a single moment, that the golden gaze is focused on him alone.  He wonders if his imagination is responsible – is that really a touch of softness he sees, trapped in the depths like a minute insect?

He just grins back, warm wetness at the corners of his eyes painfully obvious, and hopes that Ren won't notice.

"Why are you crying, Horohoro no baka?"

A mental sigh, even as he retorts and finds himself caught up in another argument with an overtone of what is for once a lighthearted camaraderie.

Some things, he notes, will never change.

~-~-~-~-~

A/N: This is what happens when you watch episode 60 too many times. XD *bashes head on wall* Can't…stop…writing…RenHoro!  Not that anyone minds, right?  Right.  Except that I'm writing when I should actually be doing poetry analysis and studying for a unit test ^^; Ehe.  Not sure when I'll next update, since the horrible deadlines are out to get me ~ no, anything but math!  Plus I want to work a bit more on my Beyblade fanfics, which are getting rusty, though I'm still faithfully watching V-Force.

Ri Ame Toraookami – Sankyuu ^.^ HaoJeanne was made to be disturbing, methinks.  Mahojin - ^^; Guilty as charged, I was under the influence of the descriptive writing course a month back.  Plus "Horohoro woke up," which was my original starting line, sounds...meh, you know.  And for 'Tenshi,' of course we have to give the X-Laws a happy ending, right?  They're endearing somehow.  Except maybe for Marco.  Thoguh I want to write something about him too.  Um.  ChienEin – XD Nice way to put it.  And – and – and – and - *twitch* I SAW IT!  I SAW YOUR RENHORO V-DAY PIC! :glomptacklehug: BYOOTIFUL!  Blue Eyed Angel2 – Yaaay!  Another RenHoro fan! *cheers and waves pompoms* WAIII WAIII!  

It's time to put up my Valentines pic (look in draconicality.deviantart.com – it's a couple of days late because I didn't want to do a rush job and I'm not used to charcoal pencil.)  Then I'm off to finish my school projects.  Then a Beyblade one-shot.  Then more to add to this collection, LOL ^_^  EneriRenie, I'm still waiting for your request!  (I must sound pushy but all the things I need to complete for school have been making me act like that for the past few day…I'm like Yoh, lazy lazy lazy and with the habit of rolling oranges.  But I like to get things done quickly.)  Ja ne, minna-san!


	16. Tick

_Tick…tick.  Four-eleven.  Four-twelve.  Tick…tick._

He still can't sleep.  He wants to.  Doesn't want to admit to missing _him, _his presence in the room.  How the room feels empty and even though it's summer, he's shivering underneath the thin blanket.

_Tick…tick…tick…_

_Four-fifteen._

_It's too cold.  I should close the window._

But the window's barely open as it is, and the room's stuffy.  The air is close, too close, and it doesn't smell of him.  That's funny, it is, since normally his scent, musk and mountain wind, permeates everything.  But they cleaned in here today, and now what he breathes is all chemical, floor-wax and detergent.  It's not what he needs.

_Four-twenty-four.___

He knows it's ridiculous, pining away in his bed like some lovesick girl from the trashy manga Yoh and Anna's little girl leave around the Inn.  (Not that he ever reads it.  She likes to tell him about it-- maa, she likes to tell him about pretty much everything.  Tch.  Cute child, but she clings like a leech.)  

_Four-twenty-seven.___

_Tick…tick…__tick._

_Doesn't the clock ever stop, ever run down, ever go silent?_

There are just some nights he can't stand this.  His roommate always brightens things, but he's not here tonight, even just the first year of college snatching him out of the house until the early hours.  Some sort of project, he'd mentioned.  He doesn't know himself exactly what the project's about, he doesn't need to know, still in the final year of high school (and a more brilliant student Funbarigaoka never did see.)  Without the other young man's bright personality, this place is--

He's sick of this.  He rolls out of bed, shivering slightly as the air strikes his unprotected skin.  He's too wide awake and too twitchy to stay still for any length of time; his hand is already on the edge of the door when it slides open anyway. 

Horohoro's standing in the entrance to their room, not looking like much of a threat in fuzzy pajamas and tousled hair.  He blinks tiredly at the smaller man.  "Ren-kun?  Why're you up…?"

Ren's glare intensifies, even as he seizes the Ainu shaman in an embrace.  Horohoro 'meeps' – the grip is crushingly tight – before relaxing and running his hand over the familiar planes of the other's back.

The uneasy aura around the Chinese man melts away, and he realizes for a minute how odd this must look.  Himself in boxers and nothing else, clinging to someone dressed in absurdly patterned orange pajamas (with ducks on them, no less!) like it's the end of the world.

There's no one to see, anyway.  If there was, neither of them would probably care.  But Horohoro's swaying on his feet, and now that he's here Ren is starting to feel his eyes grow heavy as well.  They move awkwardly towards the bed, Ren only conceding to move his grip upwards from waist to neck as they tumble onto the sheets.  Horohoro's lips are oddly cool on the scar that runs from collarbone to stomach.  

"So, didja miss me, then?"

"Baka," Ren replies, closing his eyes.

  
"…ve ya too, Ren-kun," he (thinks) he hears, before slipping away into peaceful dreaming.  

When he wakes up the next morning, he's still not sure.  But Horohoro's there, breath gentle and warm against his neck.  And that's all that matters anyway.

~-~-~-~-~

A/N: Guwah.  Woke up at 4:10 (hence the time mentioned in this fic) thinking about this.  It was a nice dream. *faint smile*  Maybe I'm not so much of a Mankin fan anymore, but I'll always worship RenHoro and HoroRen.

Unintentional Nightmare – Sankyuu, and sorry I kept you waiting for so long ^^; risiz - *blushblushblush* All fifteen, really? *_* 

I'm SO tired!  Will try to get the next chappie out soon, but...might not be able to…gah.  Well, see you!


	17. Yuurei

A/N: Yo, everybody! I'm back in the Shaman King fandom for awhile (Grokster rocks!) and since I got cut off on the spree of RenHoroRen related sadfic, I guessed, why not continue? ;) I'm still mainly working on my Beyblade (VERY long) one-shot, which is why I ain't been back here recently. That and schoolwork. And Naruto. And-- oh, damn. Forget it. You want story, yes? =3  
  
----

**Yuurei** _(Ghost)_

From the fateful day he had first arrived in Fubarigaoka for the Shaman Fight, Horohoro had always known the Monument Hill graveyard was not a place to be feared. Yoh and Manta had proved that point without fail time after time, with their almost nightly trips to watch the stars. Even Kororo had often regaled him with bubbly memories from the (mostly) friendly resident ghosts.  
  
No, this quiet city's place of the dead was very special. How many beginnings had happened here to offset the ends? Manta had first met Yoh here, he recalled. So had Ryu. Yoh and Amidamaru had the roots of their unlikely partnership deep in the dark earth that held countless memories. Ren had declared once that it was "the only place around here where you can clearly see the guiding light of the stars."  
  
Granted, Ren had been in one of his rare philosophic moods at the time, one of the ones that had always made the Ainu smile helplessly, because he sounded so serious and so…so cheesy, at the same time.

He smiled now, maybe a bit halfheartedly, and laid his light burden on a marked spot near the shallow hill's base.  
  
"Oiya, Ren. Anna was after my ass again today for freezing one of the Onsen's flowerbeds. Stupid, right?"   
  
The single healthy fukki plant he directed his words to made no reply. He sniffed slightly, resisting the urge to swipe at his eyes. Kororo drifted out from behind her master, a tiny hand tapping the stem. "Kyuuuu."

"You miss him too, eh?"

"Kuu kuru kuru kuu."

"I know." He gestured at the bottles he'd placed on the ground before it. "But Ren doesn't like flowers all that much."

Technically, the Tao youth was not buried here, and never had been. They had all been there at the funeral, almost weeping, each and every one. It was the only thing that had persuaded Yoh to return to China, this death of a friend. Even Tamao and Pirica had shed a tear or two, and they'd barely known him. Ren did that to you – he wormed his prickly way deep, but if he was ripped away like that, the ragged wound he left was even deeper, and the feeling of having him gone was terrifying agony.

What had stung them all the most was not _knowing__._ They'd all had their special connection to the arrogant Chinese boy, maybe lost touch with him for…how long had it been? Two months? Three? Not a great amount of time. Then he'd come back into their lives as a handful of ashes in a pretty jar, with Jun weeping quietly beside it.

Ren was one of the constants, and he had been stripped away just like that. Poof. Zip. No trick; and not just _near_-death, where the rest of them could pool their furyoku to bring him back. He was…he was…

Dead. It had been almost a year ago, and Horo still had trouble thinking that thought. Time had never dulled the ache as everyone said it would. It was still the same as the first time, sharp as a knife-wound through his chest.

Not even Anna could have helped him with that. _I can call his spirit, _she had told him, watching as he watered the tiny fukki sprout with his back turned to her. _You can ask him why. Talk to him. Something. I know you wanted to tell him-_

He had cut her off as politely as he could. _I think…it would be better if I waited for a while. You know? But thank you…Anna-san._

"Kyuu!" Horohoro's brain snapped back into focus, into the peaceful starlit night. Kororo tugged his sleeve. "Kyuu kuru!"

Something fuzzy brushed the backs of his legs, making the Ainu boy spin in surprise. Yellow eyes glowed up at him out of a round furry face, and a darker cavern edged with tiny teeth yawned open. "Myaaaaa."

Horohoro had never had anything against animals – that had been evident to all from the time of his birth. He grinned and squatted in front of the tiny animal, offering a hand. "Hey. I don't see many of your kind around here…"

The kitten nuzzled him, then blinked intelligently upward, locking gazes with him once more. Something niggled at the back of his memory, a gentle flutter. This seemed…so familiar…

The kitten's throat worked, and a sound came out.

"Hrroooeew."

Horohoro blinked slowly, hand pausing in its gentle descent towards ebony fur. The black creature, seen only by Kororo, appeared to roll its eyes in consternation before tensing itself and springing up onto the bluenette's shoulder.

"Hey!" He laughed a bit, trying not to lose his balance as the feline wound itself about his shoulders. "That tickles, you know…"

_Horo__…horo?___

He _did _fall then, with a quiet gasp, something electric running though his nerves. Hope blossomed under his breastbone, fragile. He'd been so desperate to hear that voice again…to talk, to touch. "Ren--?"

A mewl, and a paw tapped the side of his head, claws not sheathed but gentle enough to only prickle against his skin.__

And if it came wrapped up in a black cat-shaped package, if it came out of the blue and almost fell literally on his lap, then…

He craned his head, finally letting the tears come.

A warm sandpaper tongue licked him gently on his cheek, licked them away, the kitten's eyes sending the echo of a thought through Horo's reeling mind.

_Death is not the end…Ainu-baka._

----

A/N: …well, I tried. I know the ending didn't seem to fit…too fast…confusing…but…

Bear with me, people. I took an hour off writing another report to complete this, and I had no idea how to interweave the whole plot properly! I've done my best, and this is the last fic I'll be able to put up till the end of May (unless I can miraculously finish Good Old Days) Gomen, gomen. I know this particular one-shot could be extended to a pretty good multiparter, but I don't have the attention span. If anyone wishes to do a continuation of this, feel free. I would love to see one.

Oh, and it was my birthday on the 15th. I am…another year towards being legal age for writing/reading NC-17 fics, not that it seems to matter much. Wish me a happy birthday and write lots of RenHoroRen? =3 You know you want to!

Mahojin - glompeth Yes, they are perfect for each other, they ARE! ru-shin – EHEE! I'm so glad you like my work! I'll get an entry for that second contest on as soon as possible! Enerirenie – I'm sho haffee! snugglesnuggle That has to be one of the nicest compliments I've ever received on my writing. A HoroRen Fan – Sankyuu! DeathAngel2005 – XD Of course he missed him! Bets you Horo made it up to him next chance he go-- -shuts her dirty, hentai mouth-

See all of you guys until the next story!


	18. Wall

**Wall**

Tamamura Tamao may see everyone's future but her own.

It is a trick that she does not despise but could live without at the same time, one that has both its uses and its despairs, for she has seen danger and warned of it; she has seen deaths and yet has been unable to avert many of them. It makes her wonder why whatever spirits have gifted her bother, if even she sees herself as too weak to correct her own visions.

As a result, when she is near still water, or shiny metal, or a mirror, she half-holds her breath, and tries, more than anything, not to think of ghosts.

There are many in her past that still come sometimes, during the night, which is why she prefers to sit outside in her short robe and count the infinite distance of the stars. Stars are pure, uninterested in human affairs; gods in their own right. She would drown herself in their light before letting the specters back in, for she is even more afraid to see the past.

Tamamura Tamao conquers that fear only for the name of Asakura.

She wishes at first that he would not keep such strange company (the frighteningly tall man with the impossible hairstyle, the Ainu with his impossible appetite, the clever little one – well, perhaps Oyamada Manta is not so bad, the one with the hair like a needle and the tiger-eyes who looks upon her and sees nothing, nothing, nothing.) But then she realizes that they are loud enough in body and strong enough in spirit to scare even the most persistent of her mind-fears out of her.

Not that Yoh could not do that before with a touch oh a hand on her shoulder, a flash of a smile as he told her, time and again, "everything will work out fine." But now Yoh is growing into his future title of Shaman King – she has no doubt that he will rise above the others, in time, even without the scry to help – and he has less time for her, though his smiles are still impartial and his eyes are always kind when they meet hers.

For that little, she strains every fiber of her spirit over the sacred bowl, screams to danger and harm to show themselves to her. They have done so once, and they will do so again; 'tall one and small one' not dead but still out there, somewhere, waiting to strike with claw and fire, and perhaps, even worse foes of all sizes lurking in the shadows.

She loses her balance, and a little water spills, with an 'oh!' she reaches out, as though she would scoop it back in with her fingers, but pauses as the glassy surface flickers.

She Sees, but it is not what she expects.

He is happy, there, his face bathed in a light far more clear than the sun's, and she forgets that she is kneeling in a kitchen seeing things in spilled liquid, as it is, too caught up in watching him smile.

It is different, that smile. It seems to be for one, not many, but the smudge of shadow at the edge of the picture where he looks is faint and featureless, yielding neither face nor a hint as to whom it might be.

_Could it...?_

There is a creak through the floorboards and her vision vanishes, as though it had never been, which in a way is true. She leaps up.  
  
"Yoh-sama—"

"Yoh."

He is smiling, just like he had just a bare space of seconds ago, only this time it is the real thing. And it is not for her, but for the third person that has entered the genkan. She remembers that Kyouyama Anna had decided to stay in today, stops in her tracks. Turns away. Retreats. Maybe their confused eyes follow her, but for once she doesn't care that she's in the center of their attention. She doesn't _want _to be, and all for such a stupid, silly thing.

The water, devoid of the golden image, ripples with her tears.

* * *

A/N: Aren't you guys surprised to see me back here? D Somebody shoot me before I depress the characters any further. But, yes, I got a foot back in the Mankin fandom and can write some. Poor Tamao. But when in comes down to her and Anna...no contest.

bOw-doWn-tO-KeiKO – Yes, Ren got reincarnated as a kittycat. Hee. And...I accidentally used the dub name for that place, dammit. blizzard blue – I still wander around the Mankin fandom on occasion, and have more stories tucked away and waiting to be written – thank you! Unintentional Nightmare – Yuurei _is _a bit of a cutesy story, ne? Mahojin – I didn't _want _to have Ren die and Horo angsting all the way, so, kitty to the rescue! And thanks for the story Yes, Ren, do _what? _love-chibis-kyuubi – Don't cry! Oo; And thank you! Psycho Rooster – Oh, yesss, we shall write more RenHoroRen, shan't we, Preciousss? Don't break your head waiting for it, though...or the wall...

See you guys next update! ) –waves-


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